Variable cutting and delivery apparatus



W. F. HUCK VARIABLE CUTTING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS Jan. 29, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15. 1959 BY nl F l l ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1963 w. F. Huck 3,075,678

VARIABLE CUTTING AND DELIVERY APPARATUSlv Filed Jan. 15, 1959 5 sheets-sheet? INVENTOR ,l W/LL/AM E HUCK ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1963 w. F. HucK 3,075,678

VARIABLE CUTTING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS Filed Jan. l5. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR l WILL/AM E HUCK Ll j Jan. 29, 1963 w. F. HucK VARIABLE CUTTING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. l5. 1959 INVENTOR WILL IAM. HUCK ATTORNEY Jan. 29, 1963 w. F. HUCK 3,075,678

VARIABLE CUTTING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS Filed Jan'. 15. 1959 v5 Sheets-Sheet 5 lNvl-:NroR WILL/AM E HUCK ATTORNEY William F. Euch, Si Greenway Terrace, Forest Ellis, NX. Filed dan. 1S, 1959, Ser. No. 786,942 47 Claims. (Cl. 225-96) This invention relates to apparatus receiving webs, for example, collated and folded webs, from web processing machines, such as, printing presses or the like, and which is operative to cut such webs into successive sections or signatures delivered into stacks. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus of the described character receiving printed webs from presses of the lcind having exchangeable printing cylinders of dilierent diameters so that printed pages of different sizes can be produced, with the successive sections of the Webs forming such pages containing the repetitive printed material having correspondingly dilerent lengths along the webs to avoid waste of the web material.

ln the existing cutting and delivery apparatus receiving collated and folded webs from printing presses and operating to produce cut sections or signatures, the folded webs are fed through a cutting or perforating device and there perforated or partially cut along lines corresponding to the divisions between the successive sections, and the individual sections are then successively accelerated in order to cause separation of each section from the succeeding section along the line of perforation therebetween. ln the existing cutting and delivery apparatus, the successive sections are accelerated for the purpose of effecting their complete separation by being fed between accelerating rollers rotated at a constant peripheral speed exceeding that at which the folded webs pass through the perforating or cutting evice. lt is apparent that such accelerating rollers, being rotated at a constant or uniform relatively hiUh speed, slip relative to the successive sections of the folded webs following initial frictional contact therewith and prior to accelerating such sections up to the peripheral speed of the rollers. Since the amount of the slippage of the accelerating rollers relative to the successive sections varies in accordance with the speed differential, that is, the difference between the speed of the successive sections before engagement by the accelerating rollers and the peripheral speed of the rollers, the relative positions of the successive severed sections with respect to mechanisms of the apparatus, for example, grippers, pushers, or other means employed for delivering the successive separated sections, are different for dilerent operatingr speeds. Although such differences in the positions of the severed sections with respect to grippers, pushers or other means subsequently engaging the sections for the delivery thereof may be suitably small in cutting and delivery apparatus associated with slow speed printing presses, the described differences in positional relationship become relatively high at high operating speeds and result in misregister of the successive cut sections and malfunctioning and possible jamming of the delivery devices. Hence, the existing cutting and delivery ap paratus is not suited for use with high speed printing presses and, when used with the latter, it becomes necessary to operate the presses at less than the maximum possible operating speeds thereof in order to assure continuous successful operation of the cutting and delivery apparatus.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a variable cutting and delivery apparatus suitable for use with high speed printing presses or other web processing machines of the kind adapted to produce successive treated sections having different lengths along ilihld Patented dan. 29, 1h53 the web or webs, and wherein the cutting and delivery apparatus is operative to accurately cut and deliver the successive sections of the desired length at any operating speeds oi the printing presses or web processing machines.

ln accordance with an aspect of the invention, the variable cutting and delivery apparatus includes cooperative cutting cylinders which periorate or partially cut the webs or ribbons received from the printing press along lines corresponding to the divisions between the successive sections of the desired length and which are exchangeable so that the peripheral speeds and diameters of the cutting cylinders correspond to the peripheral speeds and diameters of the exchangeable printing cylinders, and the perforated or partially cut webs are then fed between accelerating rollers which rotate at cyclically reduced and increased speeds so that the accelerating rollers initially frictionally contact each section while moving at a peripheral speed equal to the speed of advancement of that section from the cutting cylinders and then accelerate the frictionally contacted section, without slippage therebetween, in order to complete the separation of the contacted section trom the succeeding section. By reason of the avoidance of any slippage between the accelerating rollers rotated at cyclically reduced and increased speeds and the successive sections, the latter are maintained in proper registration with respect to mechanisms of the apparatus which subsequently engage the separated sections for delivering the latter into suitable stacks.

Another object of the invention is to provide variable cutting and delivery apparatus having accelerating rollers which are rotated at cyclically or periodically reduced and increased speeds, for the purpose mentioned above, and wherein the drive of such rollers is connected with a balance mass which is rotated at a speed varying inversely with the speed of the accelerating rollers in order to balance the variations in the torque load on the drive of the accelerating rollers resulting from the periodic acceleration and deceleration oi the mass of the rollers.

n a particular embodiment or" the invention, the drive for the accelerating rollers includes a main drive shaft rotated at a uniform speed correlated with the speed of operation o-f the printing press or other web processing machine feeding webs to the apparatus, meshing gears having pitch lines of varying radii, for example, meshing elliptical gears, connected between the drive shalt and the shaft of one of the accelerating rollers, respectively, and meshing spur gears xed with respect to both accelerating rollers so that the latter are rotated in opposite directions, but at the same varying speeds. Further, in this particular embodiment of the inventioni a third variable radius or elliptical gear meshes with the elliptical gear driven by the drive shaft at a uniform rotational speed and forms, or is connected with a rotatable balance mass so that the latter has accelerating forces that are the same in value, but directly opposite in direction, to the accelerating forces of the accelerating rollers in order to balance the torque variations resul*- ing from the cyclically increasing and decreasing speeds of the accelerating rollers. Thus, the torque required for driving the accelerating rollers remains substantially constant to permit the use of relatively small drive connections which are free from pulsations and torsional vibrations. Furthermore, the masses of the accelerating rollers and the balance mass complement each other and act as a ily Wheel to maintain the desired rate of acceleration of the successive sections frictionally contacted by the accelerating rollers even though a varying pull is exerted by the rollers on such sections.

A further object is to provide apparatus of the described character that is easily adjustable to accommodate webs sewers fed thereto at dierent speeds and to cut and deliver sections of the webs having different lengths or different dimension at right angles to the longitudinal axes of the webs.

Still another object is to provide apparatus of the described character operative to selectively deliver the successive cut sections into a plurality of separate stacks.

A still further object is to provide apparatus of the described character wherein the successive cut sections are delivered at high speed to stacking devices, and means are provided for reducing or entirely eliminating the impact of each successive cut section coming to rest within each stacking device, thereby avoiding rebounding of the delivered successive cut sections and assuring proper registry of the cut sections in the stack.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for further cutting the successive sections as the latter are delivered into stacks, and wherein the successive sections are maintained in proper shape to avoid collapsing or buckling thereof during such further cutting.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and wherein:

FlG. l is a top plan view, partly broken away and in section, of a variable cutting and delivery apparatus embodying the invention, and showing the general arrangement of the various components thereof;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2 2 of FIG. l, but on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional viewtaken along the line 3 3 of FIG. l, but on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the drives for the various components of the apparatus-of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of one of the stacking devices included in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an accelerating roller included in the apparatus of FIG. l;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6; V

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a group of collated and folded continuous webs fed to the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a section or signature cut from the webs of FIG. 8 by the apparatus embodying the invention; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional viewl showing details of a cutting device included inthe apparatus of FIG. 1.

rlhe cutting and delivery apparatus embodying the present invention is intended to operate upon one or more continuous webs of sheet material in order to sever or cut such web or webs into successive separated sections which are then delivered into selected stacks. The cutting and delivery apparatus is intended to be associated with printing presses or other web processing machines which apply repetitive printed impressions or other treatments to the successive sections of the web or webs. As shown in FIG. 8, several of the webs may be collated and folded to form a group W for feeding to the cutting and delivery apparatus, such collating and folding of the several webs being elected in a suitable known apparatus (not shown) interposed between the printing press or other web processing machine and the apparatus embodying the present invention.

The general arrangement of the apparatus embodying the present invention is shown in FIG. '1, and such apparatus is there seen to include a cutting device, generally identilied by the reference numeral 190 and having the group of webs W fed therethrough in the direction indicated by the arrows. The cutting device 100 includes cutting cylinders cooperating to perforate or partially sever the traveling web or webs along spaced apart lines, as indicated in FIG, 8. Y

The partially severed group of webs passes from the cutting device 16d through a set of' pressure and` feed` 75 rollers, generally identified by the reference numeral 2th), and then through an accelerating device, generally identied by the reference numeral 300. The cylinders of cutting device 10) are rotated at a uniform peripheral speed which is substantially equal to that at which the group of 'webs W is fed to the apparatus, while the accelerating device Still has accelerating rollers rotated at a periodically increasing and decreasing speed so that the accelerating rollers initially make frictional contact with each of the successive sections of the group of webs W while moving at a relatively slow peripheral speed substantially equal to that at which the successive, partially severed sections Iare advanced by the pressure rollers 204) and are then angularly accelerated to correspondingly accelerate the contacted section, thereby to complete the separation of the accelerated section from the succeeding section along the line of perforations defining its trailing edge. During such separation, the succeeding section is maintained at its original speed by the tirrn engagement therewith of the cutting cylinders and pressure and feed rollers 200.

The accelerating rollers release the successive, separated sections while traveling at a relatively high peripheralspeed, and the separated sections are then fed throughl a set of pressure and feed rollers 490 having a peripheral speed at least equal to the maximum or delivery speed of the accelerating rollers.

The cut or separated sections or signatures are then engaged by grippers on one or the other of two delivery cylinders included in a delivery device, generally identied by the reference numeral 50d, and the operation of such grippers is controlled in order to selectively determine the delivery of each cut section or signature into one of three stacking devices generally identified by the reference numerals 700A, 700B and 700C by way of delivery belt assemblies 600A, 609B and dtltC, respectively. Each of the stacking devices, -in addition to arranging the successive cut sections delivered theretoV inV a uniform stack, is operativel to further cut each section during the stacking operation.

The above mentioned components of the cutting an@ delivery apparatus embodying the invention will be hereinafter described in detail, but it is apparent even from*- the brief `general description given above that such apparatus will have its greatest utility when associa-ted with printing presses, or similar web processing machines, in which repetitive formsl of a definite length are printed or otherwise applied to the web. In the printing industry, the lengths ofthe repetitive, printed impressions applied to each web will, of course, beV changed quite often, as is apparent from the wide range of sizes in which newspapers, magazines and books. are currently available. The differences in the lengths of the repetitive printed material applied to each web are obtained by providing the printing presses with exchangeable printing cylinders having corresponding different diameters. Thus, the length of the repeat on the web, which is equivalent to the circumference of the printing cylinder or a portion thereof, may be selected Within certain limits while avoiding waste of the web material. Assuming that the printing cylinders turn at a uniform rotational speed, it will be apparent that the exchanging of printing cylinders having different diameters in order to vary the lengths or the repetitive portions ofV the web will result in a correspond-f ing variation in the speed at which the printed'web is' delivered by the printing press. The following detailed descriptions of the briefly mentioned components of the cutting and delivery apparatus will make it obvious that such components are individually constructed and operationally coordinated with each other in order to accommodate both the varying lengthsof the repetitive portions of the web or webs fed to the apparatus as well as the varying speeds at which such feeding is accomplished.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the cutting and delivery apparatus includes a frame GI aoc/aars supporting the several above described components which has a base plate 1li of generally Y-shaped configuration (FIG. l) and horizontal support plates 11a, 11b and 11C attached to base plate 11i for supporting the stacking devices 700A, 7MB and 763C, respectively. The plates 16, 11a, 11b and 11c are supported at a suitable elevation by vertical bulkheads 12 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which rest on the oor, and which are stiifened by a brace plate 13 extending between bulkheads 12 at a location below base plate 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main drive of the cutting and delivery apparatus includes a bevel gear 2t) secured on the main drive shaft D of an associated printing press or other web processing machine and meshing with a bevel gear 21. The bevel gear 21 is secured to a hub 2.2, as by bolts 23, and the hub 22 is keyed to the ex* tension of a shaft 24 which is rotatably mounted in bearings carried by a housing 25 mounted on a plate 2o forming a part of the frame of the cutting and delivery apparatus. A spur gear 2.7 is also secured to the hub 22 by the bolts 23 for rotation with the bevel gear 21 and meshes with a spur gear 2S which is similarly detachably secured to a hub 29 by bolts 30. The hub 29 is keyed to the extension of a shaft 31 which is rotatably mounted in bearings carried by a housing 3?. attached to the plate 26. rl`he end of shaft 31 remote from gear 2S is connected by a coupling 33 to the adjacent end of a transmission shaft 34 which extends generally parallel to the direction in which the material group W is fed to the cutting and delivery apparatus and which is rotatably mounted, at its opposite ends, in one of the bulkheads 12 and in a frame element 14 (FIG. 2) extending vertically between plates 1h and 13.

By reason of the bolting of gears 27 and 2S to hubs 22 and 29, respectively, such gears are easily removable for replacement by a complementary set of gears having different pitch radii which combined equal the distance between the axes of shafts 24 and 31, but which provide a different drive ratio between such shafts. Thus, while main drive shaft D of the associated printing press rorates at a constant speed, the speed of rotation of transmission shaft 34 of the cutting and ldelivery apparatus can be easily changed for accommodating the latter to the processing of sections of the group of webs W having different lengths. Specically, as the length of the repetitive printed material on the web or Webs issuing from the printing press is increased, the drive ratio, that is, the ratio of the rotational speed of shafts 31 and 34 with respect to the rotational speed of shaft 24, is `decreased. On the other hand, if the length of the repetitive printed material is decreased, the drive ratio between the shafts 31 and 34 and the shaft 2niis increased. Thus, the rotational speed of the cutting cylinders is varied in inverse proportion to each variation of the length of the repetitive printed material. Since web processing cylinders including the cutting cylinders must always operate at a peripheral speed equal to the speed of the web that they are processing, when printing cylinders of different diameters are placed into the associated printing press to obtain a printed product of different length, the rotational drive speed of the remaining web processing and driving cylinders must be varied inversely to obtain the required peripheral speed (that is, web speed) at all subsequent web contacting and driving locations.

Cutting Device group of Webs W into the cutting and delivery apparatus.

The cylinders 1tl1 and 11i?. are fixed to the upper end portions of shafts 1113 and 1134, respectively, which are adjustable toward and away from each other so that the cylinders thereon may be maintained closely adjacent to each other at the path of travel of the c'roup of webs W when such cylinders are exchanged for cylinders having different diameters providing circumferences which are a whole multiple of the length of the Sections or signatures to be produced from the webs. Such cylinders of different (e.g., smaller) diameter are indicated, for example, at 101er and 102:1 in FIG. l.

In order to permit adjustment of the shafts 103 and 104 toward and away from each other, such shafts have their lower portions rotatably mounted in suitable bearings which extend through laterally elongated openings in the base plate liti (HG. 2) and which are carried by arms 1115 and 106, respectively, movable horizontally above and below the base plate about vertical axles 1M and w8. The free ends of the arms 165 and ldd carry nut members 1139 ano 11o engaging with oppositely threaded, laterally extending screw members 111 and 112, respectively, and such screw members are rotatably mounted and held against axial displacement in a suitable housing 115 located centrally on base plate 10 so that rotation of the screw members 111 and 112 in one direction or the other causes pivoting of the arms 1525 and 106 and corresponding movement of the shafts 103 and 104 toward or away from each other.

T he cylinder 1to1, which is a male cutting cylinder, has at least one knife bar 114 (FlG. 10) extending axially and suitably secured in a recess in the surface of the cylinder. Each bar 114 contains a cutting knife 11S which projects radially beyond the surface of cylinder 1311 and cheek bars 116 which are radially slidable at the opposite sides of the cutting knife 11S and spring loaded inthe radially outward direction.

The cylinder 11H2, which is a female cutting cylinder, :has a female die bar 117 for each knife bar 114 of cylinder 1411, with the female die bar 117 being similarly secured in a suitabie, axially extending recess in the surface of cylinder 1M. r111e bar 117 has a radially outwardly opening die cavity 118 adapted to receive the knife 115 of the corresponding knife bar 114 during each revolution of the cylinders 1%1 and 1112 in order to cooperate with the knife 115 in cutting the group of webs W. Preferably, the knife 115 has :an interrupted cutting edge so that the webs are only perforated or partially severed by the cooperative action of each knife 115 and :the related die cavity 11S.

ln the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the cylinders 1131 and 1192 are provided with two knife bars 11d and two fem-ale die bars 117, respectively, at diametrically opposed locations, so that, during each complete revolution of the cylinders 1131 and 102 in opposite directions, the group of webs W is perforated along lines which are spaced apart by a distance equal to one-half the circumference of cylinders 1111 and 1m to define the opposite ends of sections or signatures of corresponding length.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the drive for the cutting device 1% includes a bevel gear 119l fixed to transmission shaft 341 and meshing with a bevel gear 1211 which is rotatable on -a bearing carried -by the lower end of axle 167. Bevel gear 12o is integral with a spur gear 121 which meshes with la spur gear 122 secured to the lower end of shaft 1% in order to drive the latter in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FlG. l. Spur gear 121 further meshes with a spur gear 123 having the same pitch diameter and being rotatably mounted on a bearing carried by the lower end of axle 1138, while gear 123 meshes with a gear 124isecured to the lower end of shaft 16e. Gear 124 is identical with gear 122 so that cylinder 1M is rotated at the same speed as cylinder 1191, but in the opposite direction.

The male and female cutting cylinders 101 and 1132 further have gripping and propelling members 125 and 126 extending from the peripheries thereof at diametricallyopposed locations which are angularly displaced, by 9G degrees, with respect to the locations of the knife bars 114- and female ldie bars 1l7, respectively. The gripping and propelling members 125 and i126 grip and control the advancement of the group of webs W following theV per forating thereof, and may have the detailed construction as disclosed in rny co-pending application for United States Letters Patent identiied as Serial No. 696,792, filed November l2, 1957, now Patent No. 2,953,29-.

Pressure mld Feed Rollers After leaving cutting device` litt?,` the perforated or partially severed group of webs W passes through the set. of pressure and feed rollers 209 which includes two pairs of rollers Zll and 202, respectively (FIG, l), rotatable about vertical axes and frictionally contacting the opposite sides of the group of webs at locationsY adjacent the margins of the latter (FIG. 2.). The pairs of rollers Zilli and 292 are rotatably mounted at the ends of arms 203 and 2% which are pivoted, 4as at 235 and 2436, respectively (FIG. l), on support members 267 extending above and below the path of travel of the perforated webs and supported, at least in part, by axles 197 and 1948. The free ends of arms 263 and V2% are yieldably urged toward each other .by springs 208, so that rollers 291 and 262 lare pressed toward each other for iirm frictional engagenient with .the opposite sides of the group of webs W passing therebetween.

The rollers 201 and 262 are rotated in opposed directions by belts 269 and 2li), respectively,rwhich run around the related pressure rollers in relatively deep peripheral Igrooves formed in the latter and which are driven, as hereinafter described in detail, so that rollers 201 and 2b.?, have a peripheral speed higher `than the speed at which the group o webs W is advanced from cutting device lili), whereby the rollers 281 and 262 slip relative to the webs and urge the latter forward at all times.

Accelerating Device After lpassing between pressure .and feed rollers 20-1 and 262, the perforated group of webs W then passes through the accelerating device 396 which, as shown in FIGS. i and 2, includes two pairs of accelerating rollers 361 and 30j?. rotatable about vertical axes at the opposite sides of the path of travel of the group of webs W. The accelerating rollers 361 and 362 are tixed on vertical shafts Sil?, and 364, respectively, for frictional contact with the opposite sides of the successive sections of the group of webs W adjacent the longitudinal margins of the latter (FIG. 2). The shafts 303 and 304 have their lower portions rotatably mounted in bearings 305 (FIG. 2) carried by base plate lil, while the upper ends of shafts Sil?) land 394 are received in bearings carried by an upper brace 395 extending from the upper ends of the axles lill' and m8 Y As shown in PlGS. 6 and 7, each of the accelerating rollers 301 and 302 includes a hub 3ft? suitably secured on the related shaft and having a radially outwardly directed flange 30S which cooperates with a clamping ring 3S@ fitting over the hub to define a peripheral recess 319 vac :commodating an annular roller body 311 projecting radially out of recess 310. In order to secure roller body Fill in recess 319, hub 307 is formed with an externally threaded portion 312 which receives a clamping nut 313 and a lock nut 314i releasably pressing -ring 369 axially toward ange 36S. so as to clamp roller body Sil therebetween.

Roller body 311 preferably has a tire SiS extending along a portion of the periphery thereof, for example, along one-halt ofthe periphery, as is apparent in FlG. 6, so that the group of webs W passing between thel accelerating rollersy Stil and 302; is frictionally gripped by the 362 simultaneously engage the opposite sides o f the webs.

Assuming that the shafts 303 and 364 are rotated in unison, but in opposite directions, in the manner hereinafter described in detail, it will be apparent that, by angularly adjusting roller bodies 311 of rollers 3461 with respect to the related shaft 393, it is possible to vary the lengths4 of the tiresV SiS of rollers 391 and 5012 which simultaneously frictionally contact the opposite sides of the group of webs, thereby to adjust the accelerating rollers for the production of separated sections or signatures of diterent lengths.

In accordance with the present invention, the accelerating rollers 361 and 382 are counter-rotated at speeds which are cyclically increased and decreased so that the tires SES of rollers 301 and 392 initially frictionally contact the opposite sides of the group of Webs W while moving at a peripheral speed substantially equal; to the speed at which the webs pass from cutting device litt?, thereby to avoid any slippage of the accelerating rollers relative to the webs during such initial contact, and, thereafter, the peripheral speed of the accelerating rollers in frictional Contact withY the webs is increased in order to correspondingly increase the speedY of advancement of the engaged section or signature of the webs, whereby the engaged section or signature is accelerated with respect to the succeeding section of the webs firmly gripped between the gripping and propelling members and 126 of cutting cylinders 101 and 192. Consequently, the section of the webs engaged by the tires of accelerating rollers Sill and 302 is separated from the succeeding section along Vthe line of perforations therebetween.

Since there is no slippage between the accelerating rollers and the fric-tionallyl engaged section of the group of webs W, the successive sections are consistently positioned with respect to the accelerating rollers following their separation in order to ensure accurate registration of the separated sections relative rto devices, hereinafter described in detail, which subsequently engage the separated sections for feeding or delivering the latter into stacks.

Although a number of suitable mechanisms exist for imparting the cyclicallyV increased and decreased rotational speed to the accelerating rollersV Sill and 302, the illustrated cutting and delivery apparatus includesV a drivev mechanism foi-such rollers made up. of an idler gear 316v rotatable about an axle 317 depending from base plate l0 and meshing with gear 123 of the transmission for driving cutting cylinder 102. integral with spur gear 316 is an elliptical gear 318 rotated at a constant angular speed determined by the ratio of gears 123 and 316, and meshing with an identical elliptical gear 3,19 lixed on the lower end of shaft 303 carrying accelerating rollers Sill. Also lixed to shaft 3h34 at a location above base plate 1t) is al spur gear 32! which meshesy with an identical spur gear 321 secured to shaft Stili carrying accelerating rollers 362. Thus, by reason of the meshing elliptical gears 318 and 319, shaft 303 is rotatedv at a harmonically or cyclically increasing and decreasing speed, while meshing gears 32,4) and 3.2i ensure the rotation of accelerating rollers 362 at the same harmonically increasing and decreasing speeds, but in the opposite direction.

norder to avoid variations in the torque-load imposed on the ldrive mechanism for the accelerating rollers by reason of the accelerationY and deceleration of the mass of the latter, the apparatus embodying the invention further includes an elliptical Ygear 322 (FIG. '4) vrotatable about an axle 323 depending from base plate 10 and also meshing with elliptical gear 313 so that the mass of the elliptical gear 322 is accelerated during deceleration of rollers 391 and 302 andyconversely, the mass of gear 322 is decelerated during acceleration oi rollers 3M and 362. The mass of elliptical gear 322 is selected or, if necessary, an additional balance mass is secured thereto, so that such mass balances the combined mass of rollers Stil and 302 comme and of the drive mechanism therefor in order to avoid torque variations or vibrations in the drive. It will be apparent that the combined masses of the accelerating rollers Sill and 362 and of the balance rnass formed, at least in part, by elliptical gear 322. act as a ily-wheel in order to ensure that the rotational speed of the accelerating rollers is cyclically increased and decreased at the desired rate, notwithstanding the fact that the pull exerted by the accelerating rollers on the engaged section of the group o webs W varies during the separation of that section from the succeeding section.

rhe ratio of the gears 123 and Slo and the configuration of the elliptical gears 13 and 319 are selected so that the minimum eripheral speed ot accelerating rollers 3H and 3d?, is smaller than the speed at which the perforated group of webs fr is advanced from cutting device lil-t3l when employing cutting cylinders lill' and ltlZ having the smallest diameter intended to be used therein, while the maximum peripheral speed of the accelerating rollers is substantially higher than the speed at which the perforated group of webs is advanced when using the largest diameter cutting cylinders intended to be employed in cutting device lili?. Thus, by rotationally adjusting the tires 33S o accelerating rollers Stil relative to the tires 35.5 or" accelerating rollers 392, as previously described, such tires can be made to frictionally grip each of the successive sections of the group of webs W while moving at a speed substantially equal to that at which the Webs are discharged from the cutting device, thereby to separate the successive sections from each other, and thereafter to release the successive separated sections at a substantially increased delivery speed.

Pressure and Feed Rollers As the separated sections of the group of webs W emerge from between accelerating rollers Sill and G2, the sections pass through the set of pressure and `eed rollers itl-tl which includes two pairs of pressure and eed rollers @El and 492, respectively, rotatable about vertical axes at opposite sides of the path of the separated sections and trictionally engageable with the latter. The rollers del and do?, are vertically arranged at levels different from those of the drive belts and 2lb and are mounted on shafts o3 and @iid which are rotatably carried by arms .95 and sind, respectively. rhe arms and are pivotally supported by shafts 497 and do@ which are, in turn, carried by supporting plates Zdi. rthus, pivoting ot the arms d5 and 5&6 causes movement of rollers dill and 92 toward and away from each other. Tension springs are connected between the free ends of arms lil/5 and ldd in order to urge rollers lill and itl-2 toward each other for yieldable frictional contact with the separated sections fed therebetween.

Rollers dill and dell are preferably rotated with a peripheral velocity that is somewhat higher than the speed at which the separated sections are delivered by accelerating rollers and 352 so that the separated sections are continuously urged forwardly, and, tor this purpose, shafts b3 and d4 carrying the pressure and `iced rollers have gears dit? and dll ixed thereto and meshing with relatively larger spur gears lit and 413, respectively, which are rotatable about shafts lil? and Edler pulleys did and dl'e' are integral with gears dlZ and 423, respectively, and are driven by belts 2.1599 and El@ so that the rollers dill and d2 are driven from belts 2tlg* and 2lb by way or" the described gear transmission but with a peripheral velocity greater than the linear speed oi the belts.

We Le.)

Delivery Device The delivery device receives the separated signatures or sections in ving at a relatively high delivery speed as they pass from the pressure and feed rollers den and includes two delivery cylinders Sul and 5m at 0pposite sides of the path of the separated signatures and which rotate, in opposite directions, on vertical shafts 503 and Eil/l, respectively, journalled in suitable bearings carried by housings Stia' (FG. 3) secured to base plate lil.

The delivery cylinders Sill and 592 are similar in construction, except as hereinafter indicated in detail, and each includes top and bottoni circular flanges 506 and Sd?, respectively, keyed to the related shaft 5% or 564 at axially spaced apart, fixed locations above base plate lll, and a circular intermediate flange Stlb which is axially slidable on the portion of the shaft between tlanges 05 and 5W. The `bottom flange 5tl7 and the intermediate liange dud have axially directed, cylindrical rims Si@ and dit?, respectively, formed with circumferential grooves receiving the belts Ztl@ and Zlll so that the latter are driven from delivery cylinders tll and pc2, respectively, in order to drive the feed rollers Zill and dill and the feed rollers ZiZ and 4t2, as previously described.

ln order to cause intermediate flange 5% to rotate with flanges 565 and 67, while permitting vertical adjustment of the intermediate flange tor accommodating separated sections or signatures having different vertical dimensions as fed through the apparatus, a plurality of spindles dll, three of such spindles being provided in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, are journalled in top tlange Sile for rotation about vertical axes which are spaced equally apart around the axis or" the shaft 503 or The spindles Sli have depending threaded portions extending through suitably tapped bores in intermediate tlange 5%. The upper ends of the spindles 511 have planetary gears SEZ fixed thereto and meshing with a central gear 'lr rotatable about an upper extension of the related shaft ddd or filial, and one or more of the spindles dll has a suitably shaped, non-circular actuating member til/l secured on its upper end to be received by a socket wrench or other suitable tool so that, when one of the spindles dll is manually turned, all or" the spindles rotate simultaneously to move intermediate flange S03 either upwardly or downwardly with respect to the ilxed llanges 59d and Sil?.

lt is to be noted that the upper one of the support plates Ztl?, from which the upper feed rollers 261, 262, iS-l and are suspended, is also vertically adjustable, for example, by interchanging spacing sleeves on the axles lil? and between which the plates Ztl?" are gripped, and that the upper acce erating rollers Still and are also vertically adjustable along the shafts 3h33 and Sil- 5 in order to accommodate groups of webs W having diffen ent vertical dimensions as fed through the cutting and delivery apparatus.

`ln the illustrated embodiment of the invention, delivery cylinder dui selects separated sections or signatures for feeding to a single stacking device 769A, while delivery cylinder 592 selects separated sections or signatures for feeding to one or the other of two associated stacking devices tltll and '7iltlC- However, it is to be understood that an additional stacking device (not shown) may be associated with delivery cylinder Stil so that the latter will select separated signatures for feeding either to the sta-ching device *ith'lA or to that additional stacking device.

ln any case, each of the delivery cylinders Sill and db2 has a gripper assembly including a gripper shaft 'l for each associated stacking device, with each gripper shaft SES having its opposite ends mounted in bearings carried by the upper and lower flanges 5% and 5d? adjacent the peripheries of the latter for rotation about a vertical axis. Upper and lower grippers 5M and 517 are keyed to each gripper' shaft 5.1,5 and extend through suitable openings in rims 5l@ and W9, respectively, of the intermediate and lower ilanges of each delivery cylinder so that such grippers are angularly displaced in response to turning of the related gripper shaft 515 between a closed position, where the grippers are adapted to hold the leading edge of a separated section or signature against the rims dit@ and 5th, and an open position, where the grippers are angularly spaced from the surfaces of the nemers rims; to either receive the leading edge of a signature or -to release the same.

In order to actuate the grippers 516 and 517, a xed cam holder SiS is secured to base plate lll below each delivery cylinder and carries a radial cam for each gripper assembly of the associated delivery cylinder. Thus, the cam holder associated with delivery cylinder Sill has a single radial cam 519e secured thereon for actuating the grippers carried by the single gripper shaft SiS of delivery cylinder SG1, while the cam holder associated with delivery cylinder 592 carries two vertically superposed radial cams 53.911 and 519e for actuating the grippers of the two shafts 51,5 or delivery cylinder 502. The periphery of each of the cams 515m, l9b and 519C is engaged by a cam follower roller S26 which is rotatably mounted on the end of a radial arm 521 fixed to the lower end of the related gripper shaft S15. Each cam follower roller 524,9 is maintained in contact with the related cam by a helical compression spring 522, disposed around a carrier pin 523 extending radially with respect to intermediate flange 568 and having one end slidable in a radial bore formed in the hub of the` intermediate flange while the other end of pin S23 is pivotally connected, as at 524;, to an arm 526 which is keyed to the related gripper shaft 515. Each spring 522 bears, at one end, against a seat on thehub of intermediate lange 50S and, at its other end, against a collar formed on pin 523 so that spring 522 yieldably urges shaft SiS in the direction moving roller 520 against the periphery of the related cam.

Since the above described gripper assemblies of the delivery cylinders` Stil and Sti?. are not symmetrically located with respect to the rotational axes of such cylinders, the latter are dynamically balanced by means of counterweights S27 bolted to the undersides of the flanges 507 andV 50S.

In the cutting and delivery apparatus illustrated in the drawings, the two gripper assemblies of delivery cylinder 592 are spaced apart by one-third the circumference of the latter, that is, with an angle of 120 degrees enclosed by radial lines extending from the axis of rotation of delivery cylinder 502 through the axes of gripper shafts SllSb and 515e, and the delivery cylinders 561 and 5M. are rotated uniformly at the same speed, but in opposite directions, with delivery cylinder 5491 being angularly disposed with respect to delivery cylinder 502 so that, when the gripper assembly mounted on shaft 515e is at a pickup position P, that is, facing toward delivery cylinder S62 and substantially at the vertical plane passing through the axes of shafts 5il3 and 504, the gripper assemblies mounted on shafts'S'lS'b and 515e of cylinder 562 are both angularly displaced by 120 degrees from that pickup position, as shown in FIG. l. Thus, the gripper assemblies having shafts Sla, 515C and 515]) successively pass the pickup position, in the order given, with a uniform time interval between the arrival of Vthe successive gripper assemblies at the pickup position.

Of course, if two stacking devices are also associated with delivery cylinder Sill, as previously mentioned, and delivery cylinder Stil is consequently provided with two gripper assemblies, the gripper assemblies on each of the delivery cylinders will be spaced apart by 90, or by 180, with the rotational movements of both delivery cylinders beingpsynchronized to bring the gripper assemblies to the pickup position in a uniform sequence.

In order to drive delivery cylinders Sill and 562 in the manner indicated above, a spur gear 528i is made integral with gears 316 and 318 of the drive for the accelerating rollers and meshes with an idler gear 529 which is rotatable on a stub shaft 530 depending from base plate 10, and idler gear 523, in turn, meshes With `a spur gear 53,?. which is secured to the lower end of shaft 5&4 so as to canse rotation of delivery cylinder` 592 in the counter clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. l. Further, a spur gear 32 having the same pitch diameter as gear 53M (integral with gear 531 on shaft 50a)k is secured to thev lower l2'V end of shaft 593 and meshes with gear 53M to cause rotation of delivery cylinder Still at the same speed as delivery cylinder 562, but in the opposite direction, that is, in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FlG. 1.

It will be apparent from FIGS. l and 4 that the cams 51911, 59b and 519e are shaped, and angularly disposed so that the related grippers are open upon arrival at the pickup position P so as to receive the leading edge of a section or signature between the grippers and the rims 539 and 51), whereupon the grippers are closed and remain thus to take along the gripped section or signature until arrival at related delivery positions Da, Db and Dc, where the grippers again open to permit the respective signatures to be further fed along by related delivery belt assemblies lltlA, 666B and 660C.

Delivery Bell Assemblies The delivery vbelt assemblies dtlA, tliB and tittC are generally similar to each other and include vertical drive shafts dille, dillb and 691e, respectively, rotatably journalled in suitable bearings carried by base plate lt) and located near the respective delivery positions Da, Db and Dc. Shaft 6011; has a gear 602 (FIG. 4) secured to lower end thereof and meshing with a gear 6013 integral with gears 531 and 531e provided on shaft 594 in the drive of the delivery cylinders, in order to rotate shaft 60117 inV the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1. Similarly, shaft dille has a gear 602e secured to its lower end and meshing with the gear 6&3 for also rotating shaft 601e, in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. l. Further, a gear dil-l is secured to the gear 662 and meshes with an identical gear 605 secured on the lower end of shaft tlla in order to drive the latter at the same speed as the shaft 66117, but in the opposite direction.

Each of the delivery belt assemblies further includes delivery belts 666 running around pulleys 607 which are rotatable with the related drive shafts dil-1a, tllb or ble, but axially adjustable along the latter so as to dispose delivery belts 666 at the same levels as the belts 2&9 and 21@ in the grooves of the rims Sti-9 and Slt) of the delivery cylinders. The delivery belts 606 also run around idler pulleys 6%8 mounted on a vertical shaft 699 adjacent the entrance to the related stacking device. Each of the drive shafts 6Ghz, dtllb or -tlc and the idler shaft 609 of each delivery belt assembly are located so that an active run of each of the related delivery belts 6% presses against a belt 269 on delivery cylinder Stil, or a belt Zit) on delivery cylinder 502, in the region of the related delivery position Da, Db or Dc. Thus, when the grippers open at a delivery position, the leading edge of the section or signature is frictionally gripped between delivery belts 606 and belts 269 or 2li) for further advancement by such frictional engagement with the belts.

ln order to ensure the separation of the leading edge of each section or signature from the periphery of the delivery cylinder Stll or SZ upon the opening of the grippers at the delivery position, the delivery belt assemblies 609A, 699B and 699C have guide plates ltlrz, 6l0b and 610e, respectively, with pointed ends. ln the case of the delivery belt assemblies 669A and 600C, the guide plates 61th: and 610e are mounted in fixed position with their pointed ends reaching to the periphery of the delivery cylinders Sill and 502 respectively, at the related delivery positions Da and Dc so as to strip the leading edge of the section or signature from the periphery of the related delivery cylinder upon opening of the grippers and to induce the released or stripped leading edge of the signature to follow a path extending tangentially with respect to the delivery cylinderbetween .the related delivery belts 6% and the guide plates 619e or ditte. However, in the case of the delivery belt assembly 6MB, the guide plates ltlb act as switching members and are movably mounted, as hereinafter described in detail, so as to have their pointed ends alternatively disposed close to the periphery of delivery cylinder 502 at delivery position Db, in order aoc/eers to strip the leading edge of a signature from the cylinder for further delivery by belt assembly 6MB to stacking device 76GB, or located remotely with respect to the periphery or" delivery cylinder il, so as to permit a signature gripped to the periphery of cylinder d?, to be further carried by the latter past delivery position Db for release at delivery position Dc.

Each of delivery -belt assemblies 609A, oli-@B and 6nd@ further includes support plates dll carrying backup rollers 612 at spaced apart locations along the active runs of the delivery belts rE-36 so that the successive signatures handled by each of the delivery belt assemblies pass between bacliup rollers 6l?, and the related belts 6% and are advanced by rictional Contact with the latter following release from between belts 68:6 and belts 269 or 2lb.

lt is to be noted that delivery belts 696 are driven, as previously described, with a linear speed at least equal to the peripheral speed of delivery cylinders Stil and S62 and, in order to `slow down the successive signatures as the latter enter into the stacking devices 7535EA, 'lilB and 756C, thereby to reduce the impact when die signatures come to rest in the stacking devices, each of the delivery belt assemblies further includes a pair yoi' cooperating slow-down rollers 613 and did rotatable -by vertical shafts 6l5 and die, respectively, at the entrance to each stacking device so that the successive signatures pass between rollers 613 and nld when entering the stacking device. The rollers 6l3 and oid are rotated, in opposite directions, at a relatively slow peripheral speed, when cornpared with the linear speed of the delivery belts 6%, and rollers l?, and old have radially raised portions which simultaneously irict-ionally engage the trailing edge portion of each section or signature following the release of the latter from the delivery -belts 6536 and immediately prior to the full disposition of the signature inthe adjacent stacking device, thereby to slow down the signature and reduce its impact. it desired, auxiliary guide plates of? may be provided at the opposite sides of the path of the signatures adjacent the discharge end of the active runs of delivery belts `6436, as in the case ci the delivery belt assembly ot the illustrated embodiment of the invention, in order to guide the successive signatures be- Ween slow-down rollers @i3 and die.

The drive of slow-down rollers di?, and die 4includes a pulley 6l?, secured to the upper end of the shaft dln of roller 614 and driven by a belt old' running around a pulley 52@ secured to the upper end of the delivery cylinder s'nait Sil?. or Stift, lt will be seen that, in the case of the delivery belt assemblies and titltiC, a single drive belt 6th driven by pulley 62h on shaft 5de is employed for driving the pulleys did of both sets of slow-down rollers. Further, each shaft lhas a spur gear 622i secured to its lower end and meshing with an identical spur gear 622 secured :to the lower end of shaft @l5 of the related slow-down roller 6&3. Thus, slow-down rollers 613 and el@ are driven directly, by the described pulley and belt transmissions, from the shafts of delivery cylinders Stil and 5%.

As previously mentioned, guide plates oldi) of delivery belt assembly act as switching members and, for this purpose, are rccltably mounted on a vertical shaft 23 which is rotatably journalled in a suitable bearing carried by base pla-te lit. A radial arm 62d is secured to the lower end oi shaft 623 and has a cam lfollower roller i325 rotatable at its free end. The cam follower roller 625 is engageable with the periphery or a radial cam 62.6 which is secured to the set of gears 53d, Efta and 6&3 rotatable, as a unit, with the shaft Stift of delivery cylinder Sdi. Thus, as delivery cylinder 562 rotates, guide plates ldb are moved between an inoperative position, shown in full lines on EEG. l, so that a lsignature gripped to the periphery ot delivery cylinder 552y can pass guide plates tlb for removal at delivery position De, and an operative or active position where guide plates olli!) closely approach the periphery of delivery cylinder Sil-2 lll f in order to strip the signature from the periphery of the delivery cylinder when the leading edge of the signature is released at delivery position Db. It is to be understood that roller 62S is yieldably urged against the periphery of cam 62o, for example, by a suitable torsional spring (not shown) acting on shaft o23 in the required direction.

Stacking Devices Each of the stacking devices l'tilu 7MB and 7%@ includes a lbottom plate 'lil mounted on top of the related support plate ll at the level of the bottom edges of the successive signatures as the latter are fed to the stacking device from the related delivery belt assembly by way of the slow-down rollers dit@ and dirt. Slightly inclined, tabledeiining members '792 and '7b3 extend from plate 7bit and are also supported on a pedestal Table-defining members 762 and '793 have upwardly directed lianges '7&5 and 7%, respectively, extending along their outer long-itudinal edges, in order to define a path for the successive signatures deposited in the stacking device, and flange 795 has an extension Nida reaching over plate lill at the side of the latter remote from the related slowdown rollers 613 and old and deiining an abutment against which the successive signatures strike upon delivery to the stacking device from the related delivery belt assembly.

Plate 753i further has a slot 797 extending thereacross in line with the path of movement of the successive signatures into the `stacking device from the related delivery belt assembly, and a belt 7b3 travels along slot 7tl7 below plate 7M and runs around an idler pulley 7d? and a driven pulley lll adjacent the opposite ends of the slot. Briven pulley lll is fixed to a shaft 711 journalled in bearing blocks 7l2 carried by plate li, and a pulley 'l is also lixed to shaft 7M and is engaged by `a drive belt '7M which is driven by a pulley '.7l5 iixed on the drive shaft dille, olli; or @blc of the related delivery belt assembly. rl'hus, as each signature moves out of rictional engagement with the belts odd of the related delivery belt assembly, the lower edge of the signature is frictionally engaged through slot 737 by moving belt 7b3 for movement across the stacking device until the leading edge of the signature strikes against the abutment '7%. However, as previously mentioned, slow-down rollers 613 and olliengage the trailing edge portion of each signature as the leading edge or" the latter approaches abutment ii in order to reduce the impact of the engagement of the signature with the abutment. Further, during the movement of each lsignature under the influence of driven belt 7b3, the upper edge of the signature is guided in a downwardly opening channel member 716 which is supported from an upper horizontal rod 717.

immediately after each of the successive signatures comes to rest in the stacking device against the abutment 766, a reciprocating head 'lil acts against the signature, in the direction at right angles to the path of movement of the latter into the stacking device, in order to couipact the successive signatures in a stach and to propel the latter along the inclined table-defining members and 7b3. Tl e head l is provided with sleeve bearings H9 and -Zti which are respectively slidable alorlfy upper horizontal rod lll and a lower horizontal rod iii, and the rods 7l? and 715i. extend, at one end, from a bracket 722 mounted on the plate il.

lf desired, the signatures deposited in each sta-citing device can be further cut in half through the action of rcciprocating head 'il by providing a fixed knife blade 723 which, at its upper and lower ends, is received in slots formed in the free ends of rods 'FYI' and 721 and there secured by pins 72d. rl`hus, reciprocating head 73rd, in displacing each of the successive signatures in the staching device toward the table-defining members and serves to cut the signature in halt upon the ltnit'e blade '723.

in order to effect the desired reciprocation of cutting head 7tlg, links 725 are connected, at one end, as at 72o,

to the head 71d and, at their other end, to a pivot pin 727 carried by an arm 72S fixed to a shaft 729 which is rotatably mounted in plate 11i. The lower end of shaft 729 has an arm 73) extending radially therefrom and pivotaily connected, as at 731, to a crank arm 732 which is mounted on a related eccentric hub secured to the lower end of the shaft or 594iof the respective delivery cylinder. Thus, cutting head 7l3 of stacking device 769A is reciprocated in response to rotation of delivery cylinder Sl, while the cutting heads of stacking devices 7%3 and 796C are reciprocated in `response to rotation of delivery cylinder 562.

ln order to adapt each of the stacking devices for the accommodation of signatures having different lengths, bracket 722 supporting horizontal rods 7l7 and 72l is movable at right angles to the axes of such rods with respect to plate l1. rl`hus, bracket 722 is secured to plate 1l by Vmeans of bolts which extend through elongated slots 734 in Aplate 1l and are Vreceived in suitably Vtapped bores in the base of bracket 722 sothat, upon loosening of the bolts 73S, bracket 722 can be shifted along the elongated slots 73d. Further, in order to facilitate such shifting or" bracket 722, there is provided a spindle 736 rotatably mounted in a bearing block 737 secured to'plate 11 and having a threaded extension received in a tapped bore 73S of bracket 722 so that, upon rotation of spindle 736, for example, by a knurled head 739 thereon, bracket 722, and with it rods 717 and 721 and knife blade 723, are all shifted laterally relative to plate 701 in order to be disposed at the center of the signature fed to the stacking device.

Further, for accommodating signatures of different lengths, table-dening member 762 is mounted for lateral displacement with respect to table-defining member 793. For example, in the illustrated cutting and delivery apparatus, table-deiining member 702 has a laterally elongated slot 740 receiving a bolt 741 which extends into a tapped hole in the pedestal 7434 so that, by loosening the bolt 741, the table-defining member 7&7. can be shifted laterally toward and away from member 7b3, thereby to locate the abutment 706 at the point required for the length of signature to be delivered to the stacking device.

Following the stacking of the successive cut and delivered signatures in the stacking devices 706A, 76GB and 763C, the stacks of signatures can be manually removed from the latter.

Since the two crank arms 732 of the stacking devices "mill-3 and NGC extend approximately at right angl to each other from the eccentric hub 733 of the shaft Stift, it is apparent that the reciprocating movements of the heads 718 of those stacking devices will be similarly outof-phase by ninety degrees. Further, as is apparent in FIG. l, the eccentric hub 733 on shaft 503 is arranged so that its eccentricity is in the same direction as that of the eccentric hub on shaft Stili, whereby the reciprocating movements of the head 718 Vof stacking device 730A are approximately one hundred and eighty degrees out of phase relative to the reciprocating movements of the head of stacking device 700B. Thus, when the head 713 of device 766A is approximately at the end of its stroke in the direction away from the related cutting blade 723, as shown in FIG. l, the head 7115 of device YildB is approximately at the end of its stroke in the opposite direction.

Since the eccentric hub 733 on shaft 5ii3 drives only one stacking device 769A in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the drive for the stacking devices is balanced by providing an additional crank arm 74?, extending from the hub 733 on shaft'tl approximately at right angles to the related crank arm 732 and connected, by a pin 743, to an arm 7 44 extending radially from a shaft 745 rotatably mounted in plate l0. A balance mass 74o is secured to shaft 74S and oscillates in response to rotation of the eccentric hub 733 on shaft S63. The balance mass 745 is proportioned so that it is equivalent to the reciprocating mass of stacking device 7tltiC, and the mass 746 is oscillb lated ninety degrees out o f phase with respect to the reciprocating movements of the heads 7ltt of stacking devices 766A and 7bit@ lhus, the inertia loads on the delivery cylinders 591 and SM, resulting from the driving of the stacking devices, are balanced.

From the above description of a cutting and delivery apparatus embodying the invention, it will be apparent that such apparatus is adapted to be associated with printing presses or other web processing machines for the purpose of cutting and delivering sections or signatures having different lengths. By reason of the fact that the accelerating rollers Sill and 392, which effect the separation of the previously perforated sections of the webs, do not slip relative to the latter, it will be apparent that the successive sections are always in correct registration with respect to the grippers of the delivery cylinders 50i and 592, irrespective of the speed at which the webs are fed to the cutting and delivery apparatus. Thus, the apparatus is adapted to work with high speed modern printing machines without the danger of malfunctioning or jamming, as has been the case heretofore.

Although an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that particular embodiment, and that various changes and modiiications may be effected therein without departing rom `the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the web material to define the successive sections between such lines while the web material is being advanced in said direction at a predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections of the web material, and means for continuously driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds Vto effect initial frictional engagement of said accelerating means with each section while traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancelment of the web material and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section relative to the succeeding section of the web material for eifecting separation along the line of partial severing therebetween.

2. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising a set of rotatable cutting cylinders having the web material passed therebetween for advancement at a predetermined speed, said cutting cylinders carrying cooperative cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart lalong the length of the latter and defining the successive sections therebetween, a set of rotatable accelerating rollers having the web material passed therebetween following passage between said cutting cylinders and being frictionally engageable with the successive sections of the web material, and means for continuously driving said accelerating rollers at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to cause said accelerating rollers to frictionally engage each section of web material while moving with a peripheral speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting cylinders and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section relative to the succeeding section of the web lmaterial for effecting separation along the line of partial Vsevering therebetween.

3. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising a set of rotatable cutting cylinders having the web material passed therebetween for advancement at a predetermined speed, said cutting cylinders carrying cooperative cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the length of the latter and dening the successive sections therebetween, a set of rotatable accelerating rollers having the web material passed therebetween following passage between said cutting cylinders, said accelerating rollers having raised peripheral portions frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections, and means for driving said accelerating rollers at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to cause said raised portions of the accelerating rollers to initially frictionally engage each section of web material while moving at a peripheral speed substantially equal to said speed of advancement of the web material by the cutting cylinder and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section relative to the succeeding section of the web material, thereby to elfect separation along the line of partial severing therebetween.

4. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising a set of rotatable cutting cylinders having the web material passed therebetween for advancement at a predetermined speed, said cutting cylinders carrying cooperative cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart in the direction of said advancement of the web material to define the successive sections therebetween, a set of rotatable accelerating rollers disposed at opposite sides of the web material to engage said material after the passage of the latter between said cutting cylinders, said accelerating rollers having raised peripheral portions frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections, and drive means for rotating said accelerating rollers at cyclically decreased and increased speeds, said raised peripheral portions of at least the accelerating rollers at one side of the web material being rotationally adjustable with respect to said drive means to cause said raised portions of the accelerating rollers at opposite sides of the web material to effect initial simultaneous frictional engagement with each section while traveling at a peripheral speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting cylinders and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section with respect to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally engaged and succeeding sections along the line of partial severing therebetween.

5. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising a set of rotatable cutting cylinders having the web material passed therebetween for advancement at a predetermined speed, said cutting cylinders carrying cooperative cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the length of the latter and deiining the successive sections therebetween, a set of rotatable accelerating rollers having the web material passed therebetween following passage between said cutting cylinders and being frictionally engageable with the successive sections of the web material, means for driving said accelerating rollers at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to cause said accelerating rollers to frictionally engage each section of web material while moving with a peripheral speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting cylinders and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section relative to the succeeding section of the web material for effecting separation along the line of partial severing therebetween, and a rotatable balance mass driven by said drive means at speeds varying inversely with the speeds of said accelerating rollers to compensate for variations in the torque load on said drive means resulting from the varying speeds of said accelerating rollers. t

6. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising a set of rotatable cutting cylinders having the web material passed therebetween for advancement at a predetermined speed, said cutting cylinders carrying cooperative cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the length of the latter and defining the successive sections therebetween, a set of rotatable accelerating rollers having the web material passed therebetween following passage between said cutting cylinders and being frictionally engageable with the successive sections of the web material, and drive means for said accelerating rollers including a first elliptical gear driven at a uniform rotational speed synchronized with the rotation of said cutting cylinders, a second elliptical gear meshing with said first elliptical gear land driving the accelerating rollers at one side of the web material at -cyclically decreased and increased speeds, and transmission means between said accelerating rollers at one side of the web material and the accelerating rollers at the opposite side of the web material to cause rotation of the latter accelerating rollers at the same cyclically decreased and increased speeds but in the direction counter to the rotation of said accelerating rollers at said one side of the web material, thereby to cause said accelerating rollers to initially frictionally engage each section of the web material while traveling at a decreased peripheral speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by the cutting cylinders and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally engaged and succeeding sections along the line of partial severing therebetween.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6; further comprising rotatable balance means including a third elliptical gear meshing with said first elliptical gear and driven by the latter at speeds varying inversely with the speeds of said accelerating rollers so as to compensate for the varying torque loads imposed 0n said drive means by reason of the cyclical acceleration and deceleration of the mass of said accelerating rollers.

8. Apparatus for dividing continuous web material into successive sections, comprising a set of rotatable cutting cylinders disposed at the opposite sides 0f the web material, said cylinders having cooperative cutting elements located at the peripheries thereof for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter as the web material passes between the cutting cylinders to define the successive sections between said lines, said cutting cylinders further having peripheral gripping members spaced between said cutting elements to frictionally engage the web material and control the advancement of the latter at a speed predetermined by the rotational speed and diameter of said cutting cylinders, accelerating rollers disposed at the opposite sides of the web material passing from between said cutting cylinders and having raised peripheral portions for simultaneously effecting frictional engagement with each section of the web material as the succeeding section is held between said gripping members of the cutting cylinders, and drive means rotating said accelerating rollers at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to effect initial frictional engagement of -said raised portions with each section of web material while said raised portions are moving at a peripheral speed substantially equal to the predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting cylinders and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally engaged section relative to the succeeding section held between said gripping members', thereby to separate the frictionally engaged and succeeding sections along the line of partial severing therebetween.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8; Ifurther comprising feeding means interposed between said cutting cylinders and accelerating rollers and continuously engaging the web material to urge the latter in the direction toward said accelerating rollers.

1G. Apparatus as in claim 9; further comprising additional feeding means disposed at a location following said accelerating rollers and continuously engaging the successive separated sections to advance the latter away from said accelerating rollers following the release of i9 each separated section by said raised portions of the accelerating rollers.

11. Apparatus for cutting and delivering successive sections from continuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to deline the successive sections between the lines while the web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections of the web material, means for continuously driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to eiiect initial, slip-free. frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally contacted sectionl from the succeedino section along the line of partial severing therebetween While maintaining slip-free engagement between the separated section and said accelerating means, and delivery means driven in synchronism with said accelerating means and operative to grip each separated section of the web material and convey the same away from said accelerating means. y

12. Apparatus for cutting and delivering successive sections from continuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to dene the successive sections between the lines while the web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed,V accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections of the web material, means for driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to elect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed f advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally contacted section from the succeeding section along the line of partial severing therebetween while maintaining slip-free engagement between the separated section and said accelerating means, and delivery means including grippers moved into the path of movement of the successive separated sections from said accelerating means in synchronism with the drive of said accelerating means to engage the leading edge of each separated section and carrying the latter away from said accelerating means.

13. Apparatus for cutting an delivering successive sections from continuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to define the successive sections between the lines While the Web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive secs tions of the web material, means for driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to elect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating moans with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally contacted section from the succeeding section along the line of partial Severing therebetween while maintaining slip-free engagement betwen the separated section and said accelerating means,Y delivery means driven in synchronism with said accelerating means and operative to grip each separated section of the web material and to carry the separated section away from said accelerating rollers and stacking means driven in synchronism with said delivery means and receiving the separated sections from the latter to dispose the received sections in stacks.

14. Apparatus for cutting and delivering successive sections from continuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to deiine the successive sections between the lines while the web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive sec tions of the web material, means for driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to effect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the: frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding; section for separating the frictionally contacted section: from the succeeding section along the line of partial sev ering therebetween while maintaining slip-free engage-- ment between the separated section and said accelerating; means, a plurality of stacking devices for receiving the separated sections and operative to dispose the latter im stacks, and delivery means driven in` synchronism with said accelerating means to grip each separated section and to carry the latter away from said accelerating means. to a selected one of said stacking devices.

15. Apparatus for cutting and delivering successiveI sections from continuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to define the successive Sec-x tions between the lines while the web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections of the Web material, means for driving said accei` erating means at cylically decreased and increased speeds to edect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally contacted section from` the succeeding section along the line of partial severing therebetween while maintaining slip-free engagement between the separated section and said accelerating means, a set of delivery cylinders disposed at opposite sides of the path of the separated sections issuing from said accelerating means and having a plurality of Sets of grippers at the peripheries of the delivery cylinders, actuating means for said grippers causing each set of grippers to grip the leading edge of a separated section issuing from said accelerating means at a pick-up position located on said path of the separated sections and to carry along the gripped section with the related delivery cylinder for release from the latter at a particular deliver position remote from saidaccelerating means, and means driving said delivery cylinders in synchronism Witlr said accelerating means and maintaining the delivery cyl` inders rotationally disposed relative to each other to cause: said sets of grippers to arrive at said pickup position in! a predetermined sequence and to release the successive' separated sections resectively gripped by them from thef respective delivery cylinders at the respective delivery' positions of said sets of grippers in said predetermined sequence.

16. Apparatus as in claim 15; further comprising a plurality of stacking devices each of which is operative to stack the separated sections fed thereto from one of said delivery positions, and delivery belt means extending from each delivery position to the related one of said stacking devices for feeding to the latter those sections which are released from the delivery cylinder at the related delivery position.

17. Apparatus as in claim 16; wherein said delivery belt means are driven from said delivery cylinders at high speeds, and further comprising means interposed between each of said delivery belt means and the related stacking device to slow-down each section as the latter arrives in the stacking device, thereby to reduce the irnpact of each section coming to rest in the stacking device.

18. Apparatus for cutting and ydelivering successive sections from continuous web material, comprising cut- 'ting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to define the successive sections lbetween the lines while the web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed, accelerating means rictionally engageable with each of the successive sections of the web material, means for driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to effect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally contacted section from the succeeding section along the line of partial severing therebetween while maintaining a constant positional relationship between the separated section and said accelerating means, a plurality of stacking devices for receiving the separated sections and operative to dispose the latter in stacks, delivery means driven in synchronism with said accelerating means to grip each separated section and to carry the latter away from said accelerating means at a high speed to a selected one of said stacking devices, and slow-down means acting on each section between said delivery means and the related stacking device to reduce lthe speed of the -section and thereby diminish the impact as the latter cornes to rest in the related stacking device.

19. Apparatus for cutting Vand ydelivering successive sections from -con-tinuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the web material at lines spaced apart along the latter to define the successive sections between the lines while the web material is being advanced at ta predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionally engageable with each of the successive sections of the lweb material, means for driving said accelerating means at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to eect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is -traveling .at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined -speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the frictionally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the frictionally contacted section from the succeeding section along the line of partial severing therebetween while maintaining a constant positional relationship between the separated section and said accelerating means, a set of delivery cylinders disposed at opposite sides of the path of the separated sections issuing from said accelerating means, said delivery cylinders carrying a plurality of sets of gripping means at the peripheries thereof, actuating means for said gripping means causing each set of the gripping means t grip the leading edge of a separate section at a pick-up position located on said path of the sections issuing from the accelerating means and to carry along the gripped section for release from the related delivery cylinder at a corresponding delivery position remote from said accelerating means, means driving said delivery cylinders in synchronism with said accelerating means and so that said sets of gripping means arrive at said pick-up position in a predetermined sequence, and stripping means located at each delivery position to strip each section from the related delivery cylinder upon release by the set 0f gripping means corresponding to the delivery position.

20. Apparatus as in claim 19; wherein at least one of said delivery cylinders has a plurality of said sets of gripping means at circumferentially spaced apart locations thereon and the delivery positions correspondin-g to said plurality of -sets of gripping means are arranged successively at spaced apart locations beyond said pick-up position; and wherein said stripping means at each delivery position preceding the last of said successively arranged delivery positions includes strip-ping plates movable towar-d and away from the periphery o-f said one delivery cylinder, and `actuating means for said stripping plates synchronized with the actuation of the sets of gripping means on said one delivery cylinder to move said stripping plates toward the delivery cylinder for stripping a section from the latter upon release of the section at the related delivery position and to maintain the stripping plates away from the delivery cylinder upon the movement to the related delivery position of a set of gripping means gripping a section to the periphery of the delivery cylinder.

21. Apparatus for cutting and delivering successive sections from continuous web material, comprising cutting means for partially severing the Web material `at lines spaced apart along the latter to define the successive sections between the lines while the web material is being advanced at a predetermined speed, accelerating means frictionfally engageable with each of the successive sections o-f the web material, means for driving said accelerating means `at cyclically decreased and increased speeds to etect initial, slip-free frictional contact of said accelerating means with each section while the accelerating means is traveling at a speed substantially equal to said predetermined speed of advancement of the web material by said cutting means and, thereafter, to accelerate the friction-ally contacted section relative to the succeeding section for separating the `frictionally contacted section from the succeeding section lalong the line of partial severing therebetween while maintaining slip-free engagement between the separated section and said accelerating means, at least one stacking device, and delivery means ffor receiving separated sections from said accelerating means and conveying such -separated sections into said stacking device, said stacking device having a reciprocating head driven in synchronism with said delivery means and movable at right angles to the direction in which the successive sections enter the stacking device in order to arrange the successive sections in a superposed stack.

22. Apparatus as in claim 21; further comprising at least one fixed blade disposed in said stacking device in the path of the successive sections being acted upon by said reciprocating head to cooperate with the latter in further cutting the sections during the arrangement of the latter in a stack.

23. Apparatus as in claim 21; wherein said stacking device h-as an abutment interposed in the path of the successive sections conveyed into the stacking device by said -delivery means for bringing each section to rest in the stacking device; `and funther comprising slow-down means acting on the trailing edge portion of each section conveyed into the stacking device to reduce the speed of the section and thereby diminish the impact of the latter against said abutment.

24. Apparatus for cutting and delivering sections of printed web material received from a printing press, comprising exchangeable cutting cylinders mounted rotatably with the printed web material passing therebetween, means for rotating said cutting cylinders in synchronism with the speed of operation of the associated printing press, cooperative cutting means located at the peripheries of said cutting cylinders for partially severing the printed web material along lines interposed between the repetitive printed forms on the web material and defining the desired sections therebetween, cooperative propelling members on the peripheries of said cutting cylinders spaced between the locations of said cutting means and effective to frictionally grip the web material .for controlling the ,speed of advancement of the latter between the cutting cylinders, means for adjusting the distance between the axes of said exchangeable cutting cylinders so that the diameters of the latter can be coordinated with the lengths Yof the desired sections while maintaining the cooperative relationship of said cutting means and propelling members, and `accelerating means frictionally .engageable with a leading portion of each of the successive sections vof the web material yafter the line of -partial severance of the section engaged bythe accelerating means has passed beyond said cutting means, and operative to accelerate Athe engaged section relative to the succeeding section then gripped `by said propelling members, to cause separation along the line Aof partial severance therebetween. y

25. Apparatus as in claim .24; wherein .said accelerating A.means includes .rollers having .raised peripheral ,portions .and disposed at opposite .sides of the partially severed web material so that said raised portions simultaneously frictionally-engage the web material, and drive means for said rollers operating .in synchronisrn Vwithwthe Arotation of the cutting cylinders and rotating said rollers at cyclically decreased .and .increased speeds son'that 4said raised `portions .initially engage each section of the web material while traveling at a peripheral speed substantially equal .to the speed vof advancement of the web material by said propelling members, in order to avoid any slippage of the sections relative to the rollers, and, following acceleration .of Aeach section and consequent separa- Vtion from the succeeding section, each separated section .is released by said raised portions at a relatively high vdelivery speed.

26. Apparatus as in claim .25; further comprising delivery means conveying `the successive separated sections released by said .raised portions at said relatively high :delivery speed along selected delivery paths, and stacking means receiving the separated sections .from each of said delivery paths and operative to dispose the received sections in a stack.

27. A stacking device comprising a plate onto which .successive sectionsY of web material can be fed at one side of said plate, means for feeding each of such sections `in upright position on one of .its edges horizontally onto said plate at one side of the latter and then across said plate, members .extending from said plate in a direction vat right angles to the direction in which the successive sections are fed onto said plate to form a table for receiving a stack .of the successive sections one of said members having an abutment projecting therefrom over said plate at a Side of said plate opposite to said one side and across the path of the successive sections fed onto said plate so that the leading edge of each section engages said abutment to bring the section to rest, a head movable rectilinearly over said plate in said direction of the members forming a table, and means reciprocating said head in synchronism with the feeding of successive sections onto said plate so that, after each section is brought to rest by engagement with said abutment, said head acts against the face of the section to drive the section in said direction of said members forming a table and thus forrn a stack of said sections disposed along said members.

28. A stacking device as in claim 27; further comprising slow-down means engageable with the trailing edge portion of each section as the latter is fed onto said plate Vto decelerate the engaged section prior to contact of the leading edge of the section with said abutment, thereby to reduce the impact of the contact of the leading edge with the abutment.

29. A stacking device as in claim 27; further comprising at least one fixed knife blade interposed in the path of movement of each section by said head so that each section is divided into pieces by said knife blade as said head drives the section into the location of said stack,

30. A stacking device as in claim 29; further comprising support means for said head and knife blade movable relative to said plate in directions parallel to said direction in which the successive sections are fed onto .said plate, and means for adjusting said one member laterally relative to the other of said members forming a table, thereby to locate said abutment for accommodating sections having dilierent lengths.

31. -In a device for delivering sections of web material to a plurality of stacking devices, the combination of feed( means guiding sections of web material successively along a straight path, two delivery cylinders rotated in opposite directions at opposite sides of said path and arranged tangential to the latter, at least one set grippers at the periphery of each of said cylinders, means actuating each setof said vgrippers to cause the latter to grip the leading edge of a section at a lcommon pick-up ,position where said cylinders are tangential to said straight path and to .release the section at a particular delivery .position spaced circumferentially vfrom said pick-up position, delivery belt means extending from each delivery position for conveying each section there released to a related stacking device, and .means driving said delivery cylinders to move said sets of grippers sequentially past said picklup position so that the successive sections are delivered vin a .predetermined sequence to the stacking devices, each of said delivery 'belt means comprising belt portions running in .frictional contact with friction means on .the periphery of one o'fsaid cylinders through a zone leading into the corresponding delivery position so that each of said sections is .positively gripped and advanced on one of said cylindersv until it has been carried completely away from such cylinder on its belt delivery means.

32.. In a device for delivering sections of web material to a plurality of stacking devices, the combination as in claim 3l; wherein at least one of said delivery cylinders has two sets of grippers thereon a't circumferentially spaced locations and the corresponding delivery positions are spaced apart along the circumference of said one cylinder; and further comprising switching means including stripping plates mounted adjacent the circumference of said one cylinder at the location of the delivery position closest to said pick-up position and being movable between an operative position close to the periphery of said one cylinder for stripping a section released at the related delivery position and an inoperative position spaced from said periphery of the one cylinder to permit the passage thereby of a section to be released at the other delivery position associated with said one delivery cylinder, and actuating means for said stripping plates synchronized with the means actuating the grippers so that the stripping plates are disposed in said operative position only when a set of the grippers of said one delivery cylinder is operative to release a section at said delivery position closest to the pick-up position.

33. Apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein said accelerating means includes rollers disposed at opposite sides of the path of the partially severed material, each of said rollers having an arcuate frictional rim extending over a portion only of its circumference to engage said material, and means for counter-rotating said rollers together and in synchronism with the rotation of the cutting cylinders, said rims being disposed on said rollers so that they will frictionally grip said material between them during a portion only of each revolution of said rollers.

34. Apparatus as claimed in claim 33, said rims of at least some of said rollers being displaceable and resettable angularly relative to the axes of the respective rollers, whereby the apparatus is adjustable to process sections of varied length.

35. Apparatus for dividing an elongated body of material into successive sections of a desired length as said material is continuously advanced lengthwise to the apparatus, comprising means in the path of said material Vfor partially severing said body `periodically so as to form a tear line across the material repeatedly at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections, means for advancing said body continuously so that each partially severed section thereof including the tear line at the trailing edge of such section is moved beyond said severing means, and means including positively driven friction elements disposed beyond, and operative periodically and in synchronism with, said severing means to grip between said elements a leading portion of each advancing, partially severed section at a location spaced byond said severing means by a distance less than twice the length of such section and then by acceleration of said elements to accelerate the gripped section to a speed greater than the speed of advancement of said body through the severing means so as to sever said section at said tear line while a trailing portion of said section and a leading portion of the succeeding section of said body span the space between said gripping means and said severing means, whereby repetitive sections of said material of the desired length are torn completely from said body one after another.

36. Apparatus for dividing an elongated body of material into successive sections of a desired length as said material is continuously advanced lengthwise to the apparatus, comprislngmeans in the path of said material for partially severing said body periodically so as to form a tear line across the material repeatedly at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections, means for advancing said body continuously so that each partially severed section thereof including the tear line at the trailing edge of such section is moved beyond said severing means, and means disposed beyond and operative periodically and in synchronism with, said severing means to grip a leading portion of each advancing, partially severed section at a location spaced beyond said severing means by a distance less than twice the length of such section and then to accelerate the gripped section to a speed greater than the speed of advancement of said body through the severing means so as to sever said section at said tear line while a trailing portion of said section and a leading portion of the succeeding section of said body span the space between said gripping means and said severing means, whereby repetitive sections of said material of the desired length are torn completely from said body one fter another, the last recited means comprising moving frictional devices engageable with said leading portion and gear means for driving said devices at substantially said speed of advancement of said body upon the initiation of their gripping action and then accelerating them and the gripped section to an increased speed.

37. Apparatus for dividing an elongated body of material into successive sections of a desired length as said material is continuously advanced lengthwise to the apparatus, comprising means in the path of said material for partially severing said body periodically so as to form a tear line across the material repeatedly at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections, means for advancing said body continuously so that each partially severed section thereof including the tear line at the trailing edge of such section is moved beyond said severing means, and means disposed beyond and operative periodically and in synchronism with, said severing means to grip a leading portion of each advancing, partially severed section at a location spaced beyond said severing means by a distance less than twice the length of such section and then to accelerate the gripped section to a speed greater than the speed of advancement of said body through the severing means so as to sever said section at said tear line while a trailing portion of said section and a leading portion of the succeeding section of said body span the space between said gripping means and said severing means whereby repetitive sections ofsaid material of the desired length are torn completely from said body one after another, the last recited means comprising moving frictional devices engageable with said leading portion and gear means for driving said devices at substantially said speed of advancement of said body upon the initiation of their gripping action and then accelerating them and the gripped section to an increased speed, and dynamic balancing means driven and accelerated by said gear means in synchronism with but out or" phase with said frictional devices to maintain substantially uniform the torque demand of said gear means.

38. Apparatus for dividing an elongated body of material into successive sections of a desired length as said material is continuously advanced lengthwise to the apparatus, comprising means in the path of said material for partially severing said body periodically so as to form a tear line across the material repeatedly at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections means tor advancing said body continuously so that each partially severed section thereof including the tear line at the trailing edge of such section is moved beyond said severing means, and means disposed beyond, and operative periodically and in synchronism with, said severing means to grip a leading portion of each advancing, partially severed section at a location spaced beyond said severing means by a distance less than twice the length of such section and then accelerate the gripped section to a speed greater than the speed of advancement of said body through the severing means so as to sever said section at said tear line while a trailing portion of said section and a leading portion of the succeeding section of said body span the space between said gripping means and said severing means, whereby repetitive sections of said material of the desired length are torn completely from said body one after another, the last recited means including rollers disposed at opposite sides of the path of the partially severed material, each of said rollers having an arcuate frictional rim extending over a portion only of its circumference to engage said material, and means for counter-rotating said rollers together at speeds progressively increasing and decreasing in the course of each revolution of said rollers and in synchronism with the operation of said severing means, said rims being disposed on said rollers so that they will frictionally grip said material between them during a portion only of each such revolution in which said rollers are not decelerating.

39. Apparatus for dividing an elongated body of material into successive sections of a desired length as said material is continuously advanced lengthwise to the ap paratus, comprising means in the path of said material for partially severing said body periodically so as to form a tear line across the material repeatedly at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections means for advancing said body continuously so that each partially severed section thereof including the tear line at the trailirn7 edge of such section is moved beyond said severing means, and means disposed beyond, and operative periodically and in synchronism with, said severing means to grip a leading portion of each advanc ing, partially severed section at a location spaced beyond said severing means by a distance less than twice the length of such section and then to accelerate the gripped section to a speed greater than the speed of advancement of said body through the severing means so as to sever said section at said tear line while a trailing portion of said section and a leading portion of the succeeding section of said body span the space between said gripping means and said severing means, whereby repetitive sections of said material of the desired length arV torn completely from said body one after another, the last recited means including rollers disposed at opposite sides of the path of the partially severed material, each or said rollers having an arcuate rictional rim extending over a portion only of its circumference to engage said material, and means for counter-rotating said rollers tgether and in synchronism with the operation of said severing means, said rims being disposed on said rollers so that they will frictionally grip said material between them during a portion only of each revolution of said rollers, said rims of at least some of said rollers being displaceable and re-settable angularly relative to the axes orr the respective rollers, whereby the apparatus is adjustable to process sections of varied length.

40. Apparatus for severing and delivering repetitive sections successively from elongated material continuously fed lengthwise to the apparatus, comprising continuously rotated cutting means operative periodically to cut the material transversely at intervals corresponding to the deseired length of said sections and to grip the material at intermediate intervals, means for positively gripping at substantially the linear speed of said cutting means and for then accelerating to a higher speed each section of the material defined by a cut of said cutting means, so as to displace such section away from the following material, a stacking device, and delivery means beyond the accelerating means for delivering each accelerated section positively through a linear path extending continuously in alignment with the plane of such section into said stacking device, said delivery means including means operative to engage and advance each accelerated section positively and to coniine continuously to said path substantially the entire length of such section throughout the travel of the section to the stacking device so as to hold substantially the entire section in such linear path throughout such travel.

4l. Apparatus for severing and delivering repetitive sections successively from elongated material continuously fed lengthwise to the apparatus, comprising continuously rotated cutting means operative periodically to cut the material transversely at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections and to grip the material at intermediate intervals, means for positively gripping at ysubstantially the linear speed of said cutting means and for then accelerating to a higher speed each section of the material defined by a cut of said cutting means, so as to displace such section away from the following material, a stacking device, delivery means beyond the accelerating means for delivering each accelerated section positively through a linear path extending continuously in alignment with the plane of such section into said stacking device, said delivery means including means operative to engage and advance each accelerated section positively and to coniine continuously to said path substantially the entire length of such section throughout the travel of the section to the stacking device so as to hold substantially the entire section in such linear path throughout such travel, gear means for driving said cutting means, said accelerating means and said delivery means in unison and maintaining the respective speeds of the same in relatively constant relationships, and drive means to operate said gear means in synchronism with the feeding of said material to said cutting means, said cutting means including adjustably positioned mountings for holding in operative relation to said material and to the gear means driving said cutting means, interchangeably, any of a plurality of sets of cutting cylinders respectively having different diameters and different cutting intervals, so that the length of the sections deiined by said cutting means may be varied oy exchanging one set of said cylinders for another set thereof, said drive means including driving and driven elements positively interconnected by transmission gems which are exchangeable with other transmission gears to vary the speed ratio of said elements, so that upon a replacement of one set of said cylinders by another set thereof the speed of said gear means may be changed by an exchange of said transmission gears so as to match the peripheral speed of the replacement cylinders to the linear speed of said material fed thereto.

42. Apparatus for severing repetitive sections successively from elongated material continuously fed lengthwise to the apparatus, comprising continuously rotated cutting means operative periodically to cut the material transversely at intervals corresponding to the desired length of said sections and to grip the material at intermediate iutervals, gear means for driving said cutting means, drive means to operate said gear means in synchronism with the feednig of said material to the cutting means, said cutting means including adjustahly positioned mountings for holding in operative relation to said material and to said gear means any of a plurality of sets of cutting cylinders respectively having diierent diameters and different cutting intervals, so that the length of the sections defined by said cutting means may lbe varied by exchanging one set of said cylinders for another set thereof, said drive means including driving and driven elements positively interconnected by transmission gears which are exchangeable with other transmission gears to vary the speed ratio of said elements, so that upon a replacement of one set of said cylinders by another Set thereof the speed of said gear means may be changed by an exchange of said transmission gears so as to match the peripheral speed of the replacement cylinders to the linear speed of said material fed thereto.

43. An apparatus as claimed in claim 42 wherein each said set of cylinders comprises two coacting cylinders disposed one on either side of the path of the material, each of said coacting cylinders having a coaxial driven gear xed thereto, said gear means including driving gears each of which is in peripheral driving relation to one of said driven gears, said adjustably positioned mountings including arms each having one end pivoted about the axis of rotation of one of said driving gears and each carrying, at a location thereon spaced from said one end, one of said cylinders, whereby pivotal movement of said arms about their axes disposes said arms in position to receive any one of said sets of cutting cylinders and to hold the cylinders in operative relation to the material while maintaining said gears in driving relation.

44. In a variable cutting apparatus in which a set of coacting cylinders respectively disposed at opposite sides of the path of material fed to the apparatus are rotated to cut the material at respective intervals, a driven gear fixed coaxially to each of said cylinders, a pair of driving gears each of which is in peripheral driving relation to a respective one of the driven gears, and arms each having one end pivoted about the axis of rotation of a respective one of said driving gears and each carrying, at a location thereon spaced from said one end, one of said cylinders, whereby pivotal movement of said arms about their axes disposes saidv arms in position to receive any one set of a plurality of sets of cylinders respectively having different diameters and diierent cutting intervals and to hold said set in operative relation to the vmaterial while maintaining said gears in driving relation.

45. ln a variable cutting apparatus in which a set of coacting cylinders respectively disposed at opposite sides of the path of material fed to the apparatus are rotated to cut the material at respective intervals, a driven gear xed coaxially to each of said cylinders, a pair of driving gears each of which is in peripheral driving relation to a respective one of the driven gears, arms each having one end pivoted about the axis of rotation of a respective one of said driving gears and each carrying, at a location thereon spaced from said one end, one of said cylinders, whereby pivotal movement of said arms about their axes disposes said arms in position to receive any one set of a plurality of sets of cutting cylinders respectively having different diameters and diierent cutting intervals and to hold said set in operative relation to the material while maintaining said gears in driving relation, and means associated with the other ends of said arms to move said arms about said axes and to hold said arms in any desired angular disposition thereof.

46. In an apparatus for accelerating moving material in the form of successive sections of repetitive length, two coacting accelerating rollers, means for continuously feeding the material to said rollers for passage between them, driving means for rotating said rollers in opposite directions at the same speeds in synchronism with the operation of said feeding means, said driving means including an elliptical driven gear rotatable with one of said rollers and a mating elliptical gear driving Said driven gear, at least one of said rollers having an arcuate frictional surface extending over only a portion of its circumference and coasting with a peripheral frictional surface of the other of said rollers to grip each of said sections between and move the section with said surfaces in a portion only of each revolution of said rollers, whereby each of said sections is gripped between and accelerated by said surfaces to an extent depending upon the length of the zone of coaction of said surfaces and the angular disposition of said zone relative to the major axis of the ellipse of said driven gear.

47. An apparatus as claimed in claim 46, each of said rollers having an arcuate rim extending over only a portion of its circumference and forming its said frictional surface, said rim of at least one of said rollers being displaceable about its axis of rotation to any desired angular position relative to said major axis for selection of the linear speed of the initiation of the coaction of said surfaces and the extent of the acceleration imparted by said rollers to each section of the material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,159,017 Seymour Nov. 2, 1915 1,248,023 Seymour Nov. 27, 1917 1,366,082 Knabe Jan. 18, 1921 2,011,505 Smith Aug. 13, 1935 2,011,614 Bustamante Aug. 20, 1935 2,191,497 Potdevin et al Feb. 27, 1940 2,247,096 Sargent et al June 24, 1941 2,252,733 Sherman et al Aug. 19, 1941 2,655,842 Baumgartner Oct. 20, 1953 2,912,100 Logan Nov. 10, 1959 2,933,940 Hallden Apr. 26, 1960 2,956,484 Subklew Oct. 18, 1960 2,973,678 Scott et al. Mar. 7, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 548,463 Germany Apr. 13, 1932 

13. APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AN DELIVERING SUCCESSIVE SECTIONS FROM CONTINUOUS WEB MATERIAL, COMPRISING CUTTING MEANS FOR PARTIALLY SEVERING THE WEB MATERIAL AT LINES SPACED APART ALONG THE LATTER TO DEFINE THE SUCCESSIVE SECTIONS BETWEEN THE LINES WHILE THE WEB MATERIAL IS BEING ADVANCED AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED, ACCELERATING MEANS FRICTIONALLY ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OF THE SUCCESSIVE SECTIONS OF THE WEB MATERIAL, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID ACCELERATING MEANS AT CYCLICALLY DECREASED AND INCREASED SPEEDS TO EFFECT INITIAL, SLIP-FREE FRICTIONAL CONTACT OF SAID ACCELERATING MEANS WITH EACH SECTION WHILE THE ACCELERATING MEANS IS TRAVELING AT A SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO SAID PREDETERMINED SPEED OF ADVANCEMENT OF THE WEB MATERIAL BY SAID CUTTING MEANS AND, THEREAFTER, TO ACCELERATE THE FRICTIONALLY CONTACTED SECTION RELATIVE TO THE SUCCEEDING SECTION FOR SEPARATING THE FRICTIONALLY CONTACTED SECTION FROM THE SUCCEEDING SECTION ALONG THE LINE OF PARTIAL SEVERING THEREBETWEEN WHILE MAINTAINING SLIP-FREE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE SEPARATED SECTION AND SAID ACCELERATING MEANS, DELIVERY MEANS DRIVEN IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID ACCELERATING MEANS AND OPERATIVE TO GRIP EACH SEPARATED SECTION OF THE WEB MATERIAL AND TO CARRY THE SEPARATED SECTION AWAY FROM SAID ACCELERATING ROLLERS AND STACKING MEANS DRIVEN IN SYNCHRONISM WITH SAID DELIVERY MEANS AND RECEIVING THE SEPARATED SECTIONS FROM THE LATTER TO DISPOSE THE RECEIVED SECTIONS IN STACKS. 